- Processes
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- Additive Fabrication
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- Inkjet Printing
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- Glossary
The additive fabrication technique
of inkjet printing is based on the 2D printer technique
of using a jet to deposit tiny drops of ink onto paper.
In the additive process, the ink is replaced with
thermoplastic and wax materials, which are held in a
melted state. When printed, liquid drops of these
materials instantly cool and solidify to form a layer of
the part. For this reason, the process if often referred
to as thermal phase change inkjet printing. Inkjet
printing offers the advantages of excellent accuracy and
surface finishes. However, the limitations include slow
build speeds, few material options, and fragile parts.
As a result, the most common application of inkjet
printing is prototypes used for form and fit testing.
Other applications include jewelry, medical devices, and
high-precisions products. Several manufactures have
developed different inkjet printing devices that use the
basic technique described above. Inkjet printers from
Solidscape Inc., such as the ModelMaker (MM), use a
single jet for the build material and another jet for
support material. 3D Systems has implemented their
MultiJet Moldeling (MJM) technology into their ThermoJet
Modeler machines that utilize several hundred nozzles
to enable faster build times.
The inkjet printing process, as
implemented by Solidscape Inc., begins with the build
material (thermoplastic) and support material (wax)
being held in a melted state inside two heated
reservoirs. These materials are each fed to an inkjet
print head which moves in the X-Y plane and shoots tiny
droplets to the required locations to form one layer of
the part. Both the build material and support material
instantly cool and solidify. After a layer has been
completed, a milling head moves across the layer to
smooth the surface. The particles resulting from this
cutting operation are vacuumed away by the particle
collector. The elevator then lowers the build platform
and part so that the next layer can be built. After this
process is repeated for each layer and the part is
complete, the part can be removed and the wax support
material can be melted away.
Capabilities
Disclaimer: All process specifications reflect the approximate range of a process's capabilities and should be viewed only as a guide. Actual capabilities are dependent upon the manufacturer, equipment, material, and part requirements.
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